BOOK REVIEW: PRECIOUS METALS: INVESTING & COLLECTING IN TODAY'S SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM MARKETS

Precious Metals: Investing & Collecting in Today's Silver, Gold and Platinum Markets - Buy & Sell The Smart Way, with a foreword by Q. David Bowers. Reviewed by John and Nancy Wilson, NLG 　

Since the late 1960's when silver coins were still available and found in change you received at a store, bank rolled coins with silver in the coins, have always been of interest to us. We have watched over the years the prices of not only silver but gold and platinum go up and down for many reasons. In the past months the price of gold and silver has gone up tremendously. Now, in the past week it has once again gone down. What goes down probably will go up in time? In any case the prices of precious metals are always talked about by the media across the world.

The precious metal commodity is hyped tremendously by companies selling them on television, radio and newspapers. People always ask us if these ads selling these silver, gold or platinum coins are good buys. If you invest in anything that is offered via the media (outside the coin hobby) you probably will be ripped off. We have always thought precious metals were a safe place to put some of your money. The reason being that if at some time we have a serious depression or other disaster. Precious metals in coin form have always had value from the time of Lydia in the seventh century B.C. They used electrum, a mixture of gold and silver found in nature, to mint coins. From the seventh century B.C. to the coins or metals made today of precious metals they have value. Do we have all the answers on buying or selling coins absolutely not.

This "Precious Metals" book will give you sound advice on investing and collecting in this market place. It gives a brief history of gold and silver and why they are valuable. Platinum and other precious metals are also discussed. There are beautiful full color pictures of many of the current and historic gold and silver coins as well as charts showing the historic prices for gold, platinum and palladium. 　

To aid you in selling your gold, the book gives many important points on gold such as the fact that gold is measured in troy ounces with only 12 ounces to the pound as well as weight conversion tables for gold from 9 to 24 karats and the value of the gold at different prices per ounce for bars verses various coins.

The objective of the book is to make the dealer, collector or investor a knowledgeable seller and buyer of gold and other precious metals in these days of skyrocketing or plunging prices. A section deals with the recognizing and avoidance of counterfeit and altered coins. We recently attended a Central States Numismatic Society educational program in Rosemont, IL. It was fascinating to hear that even silver bars were being counterfeited and sold. 　

Precious Metals: Investing and Collecting in Today's Silver, Gold and Platinum Markets is a full color soft cover 144 page reference with all the answers. It retails for $9.95 from Whitman Publishing or your favorite book dealer. We think it would be a wothwhile book for dealers, collectors and investors. If it was in every library, many people after they read it, would be able to make sound decisions on whether to buy (or even sell) precious metals. Buy & Sell The Smart Way is on the cover of the book and it would be a smart thing for you to buy this important reference. For information on this book you can contact, Whitman Publishing, LLC, 3103 Clairmont Road, Suite B, Atlanta, GA 30329, or call (800) 546-2995 or visit their web page at, www.whitmanbooks.com

Wayne Homren, Editor

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web